Use the table below to compare the scales. Once you have formed your opinion vote for each one!
| Brand | A&D | A&D | Arlyn | Arlyn | CAS | Digi | Ohaus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Model | FC10Ki | HW-10KGV | 620T | SAW-T | SC-10P | DC-788-20 | RC12LS |
| Capacity | 20 lb | 20 lb | 25 lb | 25 lb | 25 lb | 20 lb | 24 lb |
| Readability | 0.002 lb | .002 lb | 0.002 lb | 0.0002 lb | 0.005 lb | 0.005 lb | 0.002 lb |
| Operating Temp | -10 -> 40 | -10 -> 40 | -10 -> 40 | -10 -> 40 | -10 -> 40 | -10 -> 40 | -10 -> 40 |
| Pan Size | 11″ x 11.8″ | 9.8″ x 9.8″ | 12″ x 16″ | 12″ x 16″ | 11″ x 14.6″ | 10″ x 13″ | 8″ x 9.5″ |
| Load Cell Material | Aluminum | Aluminum | Stainless Steel | No Spec | Aluminum | No spec | No spec |
| Price | $1,095 | $925 | $499 | $1,099 | $650 | $998 | $1,008 |
| Purchase | Purchase | Purchase | Purchase | Purchase | Purchase | Purchase | |
Industrial requirements for bench scales can be very varied, depending on the use for this type of industrial scale. A bench scale that is used for the shipping department must be very rugged, but the accuracy requirements are relatively low. On the other hand, if the digital scale is being used for precision formulation, accuracy is of the utmost importance. Scale Compare has reviewed bench scales that are clearly more suited for difficult industrial environments, or feature high precision, or in one case, offers both.
For electronic scales with a capacity of 25 lb., the typical scale readability is 0.002 lb. This meets many of the most common industrial accuracy requirements. The technology used for these scales is known as strain gage load cells. All of these Scale Compare choices use this technology, with the exception of the Arlyn SAW-T. As expected, the performance of the stain gage scales is very similar. Even the platform sizes are similar, with a slight edge to the Arlyn 620T which offers a largest in class, 12″ x 16″ stainless steel platform.
The type of metal used for the load cell directly impacts the ruggedness of the scale. By far, the most common type of material used is aluminum. This has the advantage of being lowest in cost and easiest to fabricate. The best performance is obtained from stainless steel load cells. While they are more resistant to wet and corrosive environments, the predominant advantage is superior resistance to shock load. This is the most common cause of permanent damage to the scale. Of all of the load cell bench scales shown here, only the Arlyn 620-T specifies that it does use stainless steel for the load cell. Interestingly, this scale also offers the best price. This is probably because all Arlyn scales are sold factory direct.
The high precision model, the Arlyn SAW-T, takes advantage of newly patented Surface Acoustic Wave scale technology, and offers ten times the readability of the load cell scales. Arlyn also advertises it as being much more rugged then regular scales, with an overload factor of 500%. This compares to a typical overload specification of only 150%. While the SAW-T is much more accurate, and apparently more rugged than strain gage bench scales, its cost is quite similar to some of the other units.
A&D and Digi are headquarted in Japan, while CAS is from Korea. The factory and offices of Arlyn Scales are located in the US.